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Tuesday, 26 February 2013

What a busy week this is proving to be. I have so much to do and so little time that I know I will not be able to do all that I want to do.

Why so busy I hear you say ....... Well the first exciting thing this week is the Claritystamp Challenge Blog goes live on Friday eeeeeeeeek hope everyone likes my stuff. - it is ready on the schedule so at least I don't have to worry that I still have it to do. LOL

The other thing that is keeping me on my toes this week is my first craft fair of the year this weekend at it is a 2 day event over at Winter gardens in Blackpool - if you are reading this and are around over the weekend please pop in to say hello - I love talking to like minded folk!! (information on top right of blog)

All my craft fair paraphernalia has made it out of the loft and the cloths for my table have been washed but still need ironing. I have two boxes of cards and nik-naks that need sorting and pricing. I could do with some more cards and some more nik-naks but somehow I don't think it is all going to happen I do have Wednesday and maybe some time on Thursday but Friday is out as I need to do all the shopping and cook stuff for the weekend so that I can just "ding" it when I get home from Blackpool and Oh the dreaded dentist on Friday afternoon . only a check-up I hope I don't need any work!!

Anyway back to the task in hand as this may just be my last blog of the week.

On Saturday myself and my mate Stella trotted off to a workshop ( I do enjoy going to workshops as you get to see other people's versions of the same thing and of course lots of laughter and chat) where we did a clock - a bit of a new venture for me but I did so enjoy it opted for a purple theme. I was quite chuffed with my little self - don't know what you think

I also bought another blank whilst I was there and had a play on Sunday afternoon.

Here are a couple of Easter cards that I have made with the bunnies set from Clarity Stamp and a Happy Easter stamp from Inkylicious

Both are made in exactly the same way by masking off a frame on a 15 x 15 card. I stamped the bunnies in archival black and masked them with the new clever masks from Claritystamp

I stamped the foliage with forest moss and shabby shutters and then created a couple of hills with a sponge. added a paper sun mask and then added some stonewash adirondak to make a sky. The bottom picture is paler and the photo doesn't really show the sun. I stamped the sentiment and then added a squiggle around the edge with a fine black pen to create a frame. I think they are quite cute x

Monday, 25 February 2013

Thought I would just show these three quick cards I made they are all a variation on a theme but yet all different.

simple technique I just masked off a strip of the card and randomly stamped the Indigoblu small heart stamp with aged mahogany in the stripe then added some more of the ink. Added a few more hearts and a sentiment

Same technique just used a free stamp from my craft stamper magazine and dusty concorde.

The final one is more difficult to see in this picture but I used a fancy swirl and 3 mini corsets that came free with an order I placed with crafty individuals and weathered wood distress ink.

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Spelindery card for today made with Ivory & brown pearl cardstock and a nice scrap of paper I found

pretty self explanatory really.

Apart from the base card I have just been using scraps.

Resplendent rectangles one of the sprial blossoms dies a couple of leaves and a creative expressions embossing folder.

I had lots of bits (and still have) of brown card let over from some wedding stationery I did, so I embossed two strips stuck them together, covered the join with ribbon and rounded the corners.

I cut out three flowers from some more of the same and then after I had removed them from the die I embossed these two. I cut the leaves from another scrap. and the brown frame the inner and outer of the frames were cut from some nice paper I had left over it has a very faint pattern to it.

I used pearl card for this and lightly brayered to take down the whiteness of the card and added a little distressing around the edge.

Randomly stamped the sprig and butterflies. I used this sprig as it has the same leaves has parts of the montage stamp.

I stamped the montage stamp and embossed with clear embossing powder on some more pear card (that I also brayered to take away the whiteness). I also gave the same treatment to two further stamps onto vellum.

I cut out the whole of the butterfly in the vellum and then a smaller section - this stamp is in really easy sections to layer up and I also cut out the two tiny butterfiles but only one layer.

I stamped the sentiment in a wavy line as though the butterfly was leaving a trail and joined them to gether with a row of dots with the promarker.

Thursday, 21 February 2013

I brayed two pieces of card with wild honey distress ink, added some water and then picked it up on the card, dried it then added vintage photo to the mix and did the same again. I slightly distressed the edges of the background piece with some more vintage photo. I stamped the small piece with some grasses from inkylicous with black archival. Cut it into three and mounted on black card. added a piece of black ribbon and a sentiment.

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

I inked and splodged and just generally made a messy background with aged mahaogany and victorian velvet. I then used the smalll gingham stamp over the top to make a background. I distressed another piece of card lightly with the pink and then stamped the little ribbons around the edge. This stamp has three sections and I only wanted the bit with the knot it in so I cut it off -..... you are now decapitated!

The mannequin was stamped twice and the form bit is layered up as are the cotton reels and the in cushion. The buttons are a mixture of both. I found some little patterned papers from a free pad to make the three rolls of material.

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

I cannot truly believe that it is over a week since I last blogged. I have been busy here and there doing exciting stuff (like a workshop on Saturday with the lovely Maria Simms) and boring stuff like food shopping and that other hazardous task - housework. I have made a few cards and so I am going to schedule a couple of blogs whilst I am here, in fact I have been sat here most of the morning uploading pics to Flickr ( so that my gallery tabs at the top of the page are up to date) and then I also added stuff to Pinterest and now going to do these few posts and by the time I am done it will be lunch time and another morning has gone by.

It is very exciting we are all hoping that you will join in and show us your lovely creations!

Anyway back to today. The other week I won a prize in a challenge and amongst the stuff were some Warren Rabbit toppers so I thought I would make a few little quick Easter cards to put on my stall.
I have cut out a spellbinder shape and distressed added random little stamps (mostly small stamps that have come with other free sets from magazines. The Happy Easter stamp was a new purchase from Inkylicious when I was having a nosey around their stand at the recent fair at Event City.
I used promarkers to colour in.

Monday, 11 February 2013

Happy Monday Morning - or is that a contradiction of terms - well it probably is if you work LOL

I went to a craft show on Saturday at Event City near the Trafford Centre on Saturday and had a fab day with my friend Margaret - and met up with more friends for coffee. Bought some stuff - mostly card came home and just flopped into the chair and did nothing on Saturday except watch a bit of telly.

I have a bit of an issue with this photo - I have taken several pics of this card and they all came out the same.

It is actually Lilac/purple with a matching ribbon bow but somehow it looks more blue and the ribbon doesn't match in this photo. I have said it before and I will say it again David Bailey I am not

I used a spellbinder grand die to cut the ovals and one in white and one in a contrasting colour. I used dusty concord and milled lavender to distress the top oval stamped Ella Bella from Indigoblu in dusty concord and a small swirl stamp that came free with some paper from crafty individuals, added some gems and a bow.

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Isn't it surprising where you get your inspiration from? Earlier today my fiend Colette Halstead http://www.colettehalstead.co.uk/ who makes some fabulous fused glass pieces, posted a picture on facebook of some seed heads that she had harvested last Autumn it was such a lovely picture I thought I must have a bash at turning that into a card. The colours are not quite as orange - down to the choice of inks pads that I had to play with.

I used a whole mix of adirondaks, distress inks and archival black for the stamping. The stamps are from Inkylicious.

I honestly don't think I could have done this without my splodgemat. talk about brayering or what.

I started with the topper and covered in sunshine yellow, then built up the colours with wild honey, spiced marmalade, vintage photo mushroom and then went round the edge with a bit of pitch black. I treated the card in the same fashion but kept it lighter by stopping after I had added a touch of vintage photo.
I stamped with the archival black and added the verse.

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

The countdown is on to the Clarity Challenge Blog going live!

Did you clock the calendar on my blog - courtesy of Ally-Ann Hanes.

Well what busy girl I have been today such rotten weather I thought I may as well stay in and craft - any excuse. I had some cards to finish off yesterday that I had already blogged so I managed to get those finished but as I went to put them in my box of stock I found another 10 or 11 ( Iwill not repeat what I said to myself) so last night I sat and sorted out the inserts on my trusty lappy and then printed them off.
So after brekkie I set to OH was still in bed - no surprise there but cutting and sticking and matching envelopes and putting into cello bags is a quiet job.

By the time I had finished and done a few chores it was lunch time I honestly do not know where the time goes, and to boot I made my lunch and did not enjoy it one little bit but never mind.

Right so now the decks were clear what should I start of today I wonder. OMG just remembered I took some little twinches cards to craft club to play with - I'll get them out and make into cheap cards for my stall. (inserts printed straight onto the inside of the card.

I had eleven toppers so I set to and I did manage to make them all into cards - they are not what I call brill but should sell ok at a lower price and of course it makes my stall look a lot fuller.

I have used a mixture of stamps - I have a box full of clear stamps that came in a set just after I started stamping it is full of little stamps that fit on twinches perfectly added to these I also keep all my free stamps from Craft Stamper magazine. I have use one or two sentiment stamps but some are printed directly onto the card and the inks are a mixture of adirondaks and distress but funnily enough I must have been in a purple mood last week. So here they all are .

Monday, 4 February 2013

It has been a bit of a miserable day here rainy, grey and cold so apart from a quick trip to the local recycling facility I have been catching up on some crafting. I had made several card that had no inserts, boxes and envelopes etc. so I have sorted those out and then I made this card for a 60th birthday. I have a friend who is 60 next week and the one I posted yesterday was for the same lady but was a commission from a mutual friend.

I felt like a change today so I thought I would get my mica powders out to play today, I love the finish they give especially on black cardstock

I have used the Juliet stamp from Indigoblu

the 60 is made from the stamps that I once bought from a European company and some day I will see them again at a craft show and might be able to tell you where I got them from they are lovely for ladies age cards.

I also used a tiny flourish stamp that crafty individuals included as a free gift when I ordered a paper pad from them.

The central topper is Clarity coated black card stock

Silver and Black mirri card

Perfect pearl and some cosmic shimmers mica powders

Versamark

I stamped the main image in versamark and then the 60. I used the mica powders randomly but I mixed a bit of pink with white for her face area then just used some lilac/blue shades. I then stamped the swirls around the edge and added more mica powders.

I lightly brushed off the excess powders onto some scrap paper that I had on the desktop where I had mixed the pink and white.

I then cut a piece of black mirri card the right size and stamped with the flourish around the edge. I gathered all the spare mica that was on my scrap paper and used this to cover the flourishes.. waste not want not.

After leaving everything for a little while to make sure the versamark was properly dry I then buffed it all up and matted and layered with silver mirri.

I just wish I was better at taking photos but you get the general idea it is actually much nicer and more vibrant in real life LOL.

I may or may not be here tomorrow as I still have lots of unfinished cards to sort out as I am gradually getting ready for my first craft fair of the year which will be at the beginning of March.

Oh it is sooooo exciting. The blog challenge itself doesn't go live until 1st March but it is now open for you to go and have a nosey so please pop along and check it out, follow the blog and if you want to join in the challenge all will be revealed at the beginning of March. You don't need to have your own blog as you can also take part via email.

My first mothers day card of the year. Starting to make some cards for my stall. First craft fair of the year Will be at Winter Gardens Truly Scrumptious Handmade and Vintage FairThe stamp is a Clarity one - Topaze you can find her here:
Spellbinders resplendent rectangles & lace doily accents border
Adirondak eggplant and slate
promarkers.

Isn't she lovely I have had her a long time and she comes out to say hello every now and then.
The bottom border on top of the lacy accents is made by masking and stamping the bottom of the stamp and then colouring in to match the main image.

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design team member

proud to be a design team member for Claritystamp groovi parchment system

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I am an accredited colourist

I am a tutor

I am a tutor over at the craft range just outside Burnley in Lancashire. I hold monthly workshops. Booking to any of my workshops is easy to do just follow the above linky to their blog and from there you can get the contact information